Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Responses to Freedom of Information requests on Equality Impact Assessments produced for targeting Winter Fuel Payment, published on 13 September 2024, for what reason the assessment undertaken by HM Treasury concluded that women will be disproportionately impacted and the assessment undertaken by her Department concluded that men will be disproportionately impacted by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment; whether she plans to update her Department's equality impact assessment; and whether processes are in place to ensure equality analyses by different Departments are consistent.

The assessments undertaken by the Department and HM Treasury do not contradict each other. They are on a different basis. HM Treasury analysis is based on Census 2011 data and compares pensioners to the non-pensioner population. Whereas the Department’s analysis uses pensioner benefit administrative data to assess pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit at November 2023, compared to those who received a Winter Fuel Payment in 2022/23.

Where both documents consider the likelihood of receiving Pension Credit, both show that women are less likely to be impacted by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment, due to them being more likely to claim Pension Credit. The HM Treasury assessment states that “PC specifically is disproportionately claimed by older, single women.” Older, single women are, therefore, more likely to retain their eligibility for a Winter Fuel Payment and, as a result, are less likely to be affected by the policy. This chimes with the Department’s conclusion that “this policy will have the highest proportional impact on couples, and a marginally greater impact on men than women.”

As part of the Public Sector Equality Duty, the Department will continue to monitor and review the impact of the policy, using this to inform future decisions.